A Mighty Mouse MiniStory
by DyNaMoDave
Summary: A little something I had stashed away. In it, Mighty Mouse deals with some ghosts of his past as a friend tries to help him.


A Mighty Mouse Mini-Story

A Brief Explanation:

Here we find Mighty Mouse in his civilian identity as a TV newscaster. He is at work with his co-anchor and friend Pearl Pureheart. Mighty Mouse aka Mike Mouse has been in retirement for ten years. Recently he has been yearning to tell Pearl why he left.

"This is Mike Mouse, we'll return to our 10 year remembrance special, "What happened to Mighty Mouse" after these station breaks." The middle aged mouse that spoke just sat there and didn't say anything afterwards. His co-anchor and partner turned to him and asked, "Are you OK?"

No answer from Mike.

Pearl sat and glared at Mike, "Mike Mouse, I declare you are the moodiest rodent on the planet, what's up with you anyway? This is great footage of Mighty Mouse and you're sitting there like your Mom died or something."

Mike sat and thought to himself for a moment, "You know, she's been your best friend for over 10 years now, you should tell her." He answered, "You really want to know, then come to my apartment after work, I promise you won't be disappointed."

Pearl teased back, "What are you planning, to show me your Mousel Adams prints?"

He gave her a long suffering look over his glasses, "No Pearl, nothing like that."

LATER THAT EVENING:

Mike Mouse had changed from his 3 piece television suit into a plain colored tan T-shirt and dungarees. He was puttering about in his bedroom moving clothes and other belongings when the door bell got his attention.

"That's gotta be Pearl." he thought. "Just a moment, be right there" he hollered out to her. He left his bedroom and went to the front entrance.

He opened the door and it was indeed Pearl. She wasted no time, "OK, bud," She poked him in the chest with her right pointer finger, "what's up? Talk to me."

Mike motioned with a follow me and went back to the bedroom. Pearl followed and exclaimed, "You might say "Hi Pearl" or something."

"Pardon me, my manners are lacking lately" They arrived in Mike's bedroom. The main closet was open and Mike walked Pearl over to it. "You wanted to know what's bothering me. I suppose I should have told you years ago, look inside."

Pearl peered curiously in, "All I see are your TV work suits, smarty."

Mike reached in, "No here." He pointed and moved aside some suits to reveal an arched doorway that was actually an old horseshoe.

Pearl exclaimed, "I never knew that was there, it must have took 50 mice to haul it up here! What's behind the door, your PlayMouse collection?"

He just shook his head and sighed at the bad and yet good-natured innuendo. "No Pearl, nothing like that. See that knob and that off-colored board on the floor?"

"Yes"

"Put your foot on the board and turn the knob."

Pearl did as she was told and the door slide aside to reveal a chamber. Hanging on a clothes rack were suits that she had not seen in over 10 years. They were yellow and red...suits of a champion...the suits of a Mighty Mouse!

"So that's your problem? You think you're Mighty Mouse?"

Mike just looked at her with a bemused expression as Pearl kept talking. "Mike, I can't help you, you need professional advice. I know the male ego can be tricky and I speak from experience having dated some real losers, but Mighty Mouse was in a class all by himself, don't do this to yourself."

"Thanks, but there's more." Mike replied and with that he put his hands around her waist and sang gently in her ear, "Here I come to save the day" and floated up to the ceiling!

"WHAT, HEY, WHOA!" Then reality sank in as she looked down at the floor a good 10 feet below her. She looked at Mike, then the floor, then back at Mike, then at the floor speechless. Still not quite believing she asked, "Mike...what are you telling me?"

He returned to the floor and released Pearl. "See the horseshoe?" he asked.

"Yes"

Mike did three things at near blinding speed. He punched a hole in the right side of the horseshoe with his fist, melted a spot above the hole with heat vision, and then quickly repaired the hole with a smoothing motion using both hands.

Pearl just stared at Mike. Finally she asked, "Why, after all these years, did you tell me this? Did we do something wrong, why did you leave,?" Pearl began to get angry, "I've known you for years. I can't believe I sat next to you all this time! Do you know how bad we missed you, needed you!"

Mike replied sadly, "It was nothing you or anyone did, or didn't do. It was something I didn't do, the one day I couldn't save the day. My last appearance as Mighty Mouse, surely you remember?"

"Of course I do, it was Oil Can Harry's last appearance as well. His young cousin fell off the cliffs at the old WWII observatory into the ocean during your final battle."

...and I wasn't there to catch him, I looked everywhere! My X-Ray vision turned up NOTHING! I searched for weeks," he lamented. Mike took a deep breath, "I failed and because of me, an innocent died. I don't deserve that uniform." and pointed towards his closet.

"Mike, nobody's perfect, not even Mighty Mouse. The whole town agreed afterwards that you simply didn't have enough time. It was a horrible, unavoidable accident, nothing more. Mike, you tried, please we need you, come back."

"Come back?" he said somewhat bitterly. "Why should I? The Batmouse, X-Mice, Spidermouse, and Danger Mouse are doing just fine without me."

"STOP IT!" She drew back to slap him. Mike jumped at the motion, "No, you'll...SMAK!

Pearl screamed, put her hand between her legs and jumped up and down in pain.

"OW, that stings!"

Mike finished..."hurt yourself!"

Pearl just glared, "Don't fret about me, Mr Ex-Super Hero. Quit moping!" Pearl suddenly had an idea she thought might just help. "OK, over here, NOW!" She pointed towards Mike's computer sitting at a desk in the opposite corner of the room.

"Sit!" Mike sat stiffly as Pearl pulled up her old TV interview files from the TV station archives.

"Dang thing is slow, you need a newer hard-drive, and why is this control called a mouse anyway! Here we go."

Mike saw before him old TV text files of Pearl's interviews with other superheroes. The Batmouse, X-Mice, Spidermouse and Danger Mouse.

"Mike, READ these please. These guys are all new by your standards but they all hold you in the highest regards. YOU, Mr. Mopey, were their inspiration and role model, believe it or not!"

"I am going home, I will tell nobody what I saw here. I do care, you big oaf." she said to Mike and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Call me after you've read the files, and no speed reading either. We'll talk" and then she turned to leave.

Mike called out, "Pearl?"

"Yea?"

"Thanks, I needed that."

"You're welcome." she answered then let herself out.

The last sound Mike heard before he turned to the computer was Pearl shutting the door. 


End file.
